Underground Railroad Festival at Plymouth Church, Saturday, June 19

June 19, “Juneteenth”, is celebrated as the day slaves in Texas learned of their emancipation. This coming June 19, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., there will be a festival at Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, Hicks and Orange Streets, commemorating that church’s role as the “Grand Central” of the “Underground Railroad”, the clandestine network that helped escaped slaves reach freedom.

According to the festival’s sponsors:

Festivities of the afternoon include: A tour of the Plymouth Church Underground Railroad site A keynote address by Paul and Marl Liz Stewart, founders of the Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region of New York and organizers of the Underground Railroad Public History Conference since 2002. A virtual tour of New York City abolitionist and Underground Railroad sites Award-winning musical play, Singin Wid A Sword In Ma Han; An Underground Railroad Love Story (****4-Star Time Out) [more information here] Quilting and Children’s activities by Fiberartist Aleeda Crawley Take-away materials about Underground Railroad museums, events and initiatives in NYC and across the country

The festival is sponsored by Brooklyn Historical Society, GreenGurl Productions, Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, The American Theatre of Harlem and the Weeksville Heritage Center. Admission is $20 for adults, $10 for students, children and seniors. There’s more information, and a schedule of activities, here.